Break Line Page 6
“What happens if I panic?”
Paolo showed him the equipment, showed him the hand-held button box that he would use to signal if he needed to come up. “Kai’s got the boat for the full day, so if you need to come up several times, we’re good.”
“OK, let’s do this!” Nate blurted out before he changed his mind.
Paolo stopped the boat at the best spot according to his monitors. Kai donned a wetsuit along with Nate.
“You don’t think I’d have you do something I wasn’t willing to do, did you, cuz?”
Nate shook his head. He figured it would be him alone in that cage.
“I’ll go down first, and then Kini can go down with you if you want.” Kai checked his gauges.
“Leave me out of this!” Kini’s eyes went wide. “I’m not getting in that thing.” She ducked inside the cabin beside Paolo. Just in case they thought to convince her otherwise.
When the men were ready, Paolo opened the cage, showing them how to use the button, testing their communicators, and then directing the pair into the cage. Slowly, they were lowered into the water. Five meters, then ten. At fifteen meters, Kai grabbed his arm pointing to three sharks swimming off to their right. Surprisingly, Nate didn’t panic.
When they swam closer and one bumped into the cage, Nate moved back startled. But, when one came forward, biting the steel cage he pushed the button, yelling, “Now, we need to come up!”
After a short time, he had calmed down sufficiently enough to try it again. This time he resolved himself that this was the best way to tackle the fear head-on.
Once they were at fifteen meters, he commented on the beauty and how serene it was being in the deep blue. Reef tip sharks swam by. A great white lumbered along, turning back to check them out, but showed no interest. Then, some smaller quick darting Mako sharks swam around the cage. Nate was concerned that some of the smaller ones could fit inside the larger opening that was about chest high when one poked his snout inside the cage. This time Kai pushed the button.
“Time to go. Seems we’re drawing a crowd and these smaller ones are fast.”
He had done it. He had faced his fears. Nate had learned a lot from the therapist, how to calm himself down, what to do when he had nightmares or waking dreams. He knew the coping techniques to use when things got stressful. He felt that he was truly on the road to recovery!
Nathan had been practicing surfing on his board, balancing on one leg. It took more upper body strength, but he figured if he could conquer that, he could manage with the prosthetic. It was difficult to get used to, but then again, learning to surf had been in the beginning anyway.
He combed his hair and straightened his tie. Tonight, was the night he would formally propose to Kini.
Earlier in the day, she had accompanied him and his family to the very important ceremony to scatter his mother’s ashes at sea. The priest sang traditional songs, then gave him the signal. After opening the canister and dumping the ashes on the waves, he tossed his lei onto the water.
“Mom, you were the best mother a guy could ever have. I miss you. Because of you, I am the man I am today. I hope you’d be proud of me. Love you, Mom.”
His aunt said her goodbyes as she wept for her sister. His cousins tossed their leis with quick goodbyes. It was a solemn moment, and he was thrilled to have Kini by his side. At that moment, he felt his mother smiling down on him when he reached for Kini’s hand.
“I never got to meet you in this life, but I hope to in the next. You must have been an amazing woman to have such a wonderful son.” Kini bowed her head in reverence as she tossed her lei.
Nathan smiled at Kini and the family that surrounded him. His daughters were in a small rowboat behind him as they hadn’t mastered boards yet.
Sunset in paradise!
Nathan couldn’t ask for a better life!
THE END
Thank you to my family and friends for their support and patience.
Writing is a solitary act, but it wouldn’t be possible without a huge support system. There are numerous people that I owe my gratitude:
Thank you, Larry, for everything.
Thank you to my beta readers – Misty, Shellie, and Rhonda.
Thank you to my morning sprint group – Chatty Chicks. You ladies rock! Thank you, Karen Docter, for the ongoing Just Write sessions and continued encouragement!
Thank you to everyone who has supported my writing!
Contemporary romance author, Ellie Mack, is a former columnist outside of St. Louis, Missouri where she resides with her husband and daughters. Her works have earned her nominations in the Indie community for best debut romance and best ugly cry in 2017. Recently, she has “dipped her quill” into the realm of Norse mythology with her title The Awakening.
As a breast cancer survivor, Ellie encourages others with the diagnosis to keep fighting and to always have hope.
“If there’s life, there is hope.” -Stephen Hawking
Ellie has also won both the Liebster and Wordpress blog awards for her blog Quotidiandose. When she’s not working on her next book, Ellie enjoys journaling, crocheting, and practicing her skills in the kitchen.
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” -Vivian Greene
Blog
https://quotidiandose.wordpress.com
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